Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, turbine blades often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of the blades and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine blades are formed from a root portion having a platform at one end and an elongated portion forming a blade that extends outwardly from the platform coupled to the root portion. The blade is ordinarily composed of a tip opposite the root section, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The inner aspects of most turbine blades typically contain an intricate maze of cooling channels forming a cooling system. The cooling channels in a blade receive air from the compressor of the turbine engine and pass the air through the blade. Some of the cooling fluids are passed through the root and into the cavity between adjacent turbine blades to cool the platforms of the blades. The cooling fluids may be exhausted through gaps between adjacent blades and may create film cooling. The gaps are typically formed between side surfaces of the platforms that are generally parallel to each other and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the turbine blade. Oxidation and erosion of the side surfaces of the platforms often occurs and results in a greater flow of cooling fluids through the gap. The excessive fluid flow creates more turbulence in the film cooling layer and prevents adequate formation of the film cooling layer. Thus, a need exists for reducing the oxidation and erosion problems that typically occur on the side surfaces of platforms of turbine blades.